How cycling changed my life...

Richard Keith Harris, 55, from Worcestershire, cycles to combat illness and has turned his passion into a qualification as a bike mechanic…

HOW HAS CYCLING CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

“I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2004, but the cycling that I have done every Saturday since I was 10 years old has kept me fit and sane. With MS you get an energy packet and once used up that is it until the next day. So, I use it wisely and I have found that cycling with a cool head extends the fatigue until later.”

WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE BEFORE THE BIKE?

“As a kid I started riding a Raleigh Chopper then eventually traded it in for a PUCH PRIMA Super 12 – with drop handlebars and 12 gears. It was then that I first had an episode of becoming blind in one eye when I was cycling down a fast bit of road into Malvern Link. Fortunately,

I was with my buddy Steve who took me to A&E where I was told I was having a brain haemorrhage. It turned out to be optic neurosis, an early indicator for MS, but it wasn’t diagnosed until years later.”

WHAT DO YOU RIDE NOW AND HOW OFTEN?

“Currently, I’m on a 2016 Cannondale Synapse Volt red carbon Ultegra 11-speed – and also spending more time on a 2019

Cannondale NEO electric Ultegra 11-speed, which I’ve done 2500 miles on. Previously, I’ve ridden a Peugeot 531 mountain bike for cross-training purposes and a Raleigh Dynatech 700 frame bought separately and fully built by myself (the best bike I have ever owned!). I’ve since qualified as a Cytech Cycle Mechanic. I ride at least twice a week with ‘cyclotherapy’ buddies Gareth, John and Simon who still push the endurance.”

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE YOUR MAJOR CYCLING ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR?

“London to Brighton for the British Heart Foundation, also the Dragon Ride in Wales (four times), London to Paris, Velo Wales, Etape Cymru, Three Peaks, Alpe d’Huez, Gorges de la Nesque and the Mad March Hare five times. I was due to go back to Mont Ventoux in May 2020 to complete it but I have put that on hold. I’d also like to continue to assist local community charity Playground Peddlers to get everyone cycling.”

Sustrans is the charity making it easier for people to walk and cycle. Join us on our journey; sustrans.org.uk

GET IN TOUCH...

Has cycling changed your life? Email us at cyclingplus@immediate.co.uk

“I WAS D I A G NOSED WI T H MULT I P L E S C L E R O S I S I N

2 0 0 4 , B U T T HE C Y C L I NG H A S K E P T ME F I T A ND S A NE ”